Abstract

We designed a method to examine the mutation frequencies of the A3243G mutation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in patients with mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome. We performed a qPCR assay using the FAM and VIC TaqMan probes, which detect the 3243G (mutated) and 3243A (wild-type) sequences of mtDNA, respectively. The results obtained by “degree” in a series of differential mutation frequencies were used to plot a standard curve of the mutation frequency. The standard curve was then applied for qPCR assays of the desired samples. The standard deviation (%) of the samples calculated using the standard curve for the TaqMan probe was 2.4 ± 1.5%. This method could be used to examine mutation frequencies in the context of diabetes, aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases.